A dramatic visual of a road getting washed away in Kerala’s Malappuram district was released on Thursday, 9 August, after flash floods and landslides hit the region.

According to Kerala State Emergency Operations Centre, 22 people lost their lives due to the heavy rains that lashed the area.

Eleven people died in Idukki district, five in Malappuram district, three in Wayanad, two in Kannur and one in Kozhikode, said a home ministry spokesperson to PTI.

With water levels rising in various dams and reaching almost their maximum capacity, shutters of at least 22 reservoirs in Kerala have been opened to drain out excess water.

Earlier, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, while talking to media, said rains have caused extensive damage to life and property across the state.

As a precaution, the Cochin International Airport Limited has informed that till 2.30 pm all incoming flights will be diverted to other destinations, while there will be no problem for outgoing flights.

The chief minister also held an emergency meeting and appointed senior official P H Kurian to lead the rescue and relief operations.

Reacting to the crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that he was in conversation with Chief Minister Vijayan and that all possible help would be given to the people of Kerala in the wake of this “calamity”.

A special monitoring cell has been opened in the state secretariat and all the 14 district collectors have been directed to open one monitoring centre in each district.